Thursday, January 31, 2013

Over the years I have learned a lot from bohoJC when it comes to decorating for a party. I've taken plenty of notes, and though I'm still nowhere near her level of expertise I continue to try and outdo myself when given the opportunity. Last Friday we threw a surprise birthday dinner for my amazing mother-in-law, Gerry, at theLounge Next Door at Ibiza. I'm not trying toot my own horn, but toot toot because it turned out pretty darn good! Fortunately I was the only one planning the decorations so I really got to do whatever I wanted....Creative Freedom!? High Five!!!
I want to share what I did for the table because a) I LOVE this sort of thing, and b) If you have the 5 items I used, you can transform any table/room all by yourself and really just shock the shit out of your guests!

5 THINGS:

{Candelabra}

{Votive Candles}

{Balloons}

{Flowers}

{Place Cards}

{Candelabra's} These beauties can transform any table with a perfect touch of elegance. I used 2 from bohoJC for the rectangular 24 top we would be using. The good thing about candelabra's is the one time cost. Obviously you will have to purchase candlesticks each time you use one, which run about $1.20 a pop, but using a candelabra as a substitute for larger floral arrangements will save you money and time.

I'm in LOVE with this table.....

{Votive Candles} I've collected TONS of votive candles over the last few years, because tons is how many you need to transform a room, sorta. I have a suit case filled that I took over to bohoG$'s for the party we threw for bohoJC (pic below), then we gathered those up and took them to the restaurant for my mother in laws party. My candles have gotten plenty of use! If you are having people over for dinner then cover your table in votive candles, and dim the lights. Everything looks so much sexier and cooler in candlelight, including your guests, no one wants a bright light on their purple wine teeth.

{Note: bohoS's candelabra she found at the Guild Shop, diamond in the rough!}

Cost Plus World Market, Target, Wal-Mart, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby all sell boxes of 12 glass candle votives. Try them in different colors to work with your theme.

Line the bookshelves and windowsills

How elegant does this table look?? ALL CANDLES! I love it! This is what I mean by TONS.

.

{Balloons} It seemed so juvenile at first, but I learned very quickly that it makes a world of a difference! I ordered 45 white balloons from Party City that morning and picked them up on our way there. We tied randomly to the back of the chairs to add height to the table. The end result looks so good and definitely adds the 'party' feel to your night. If your room is small cut the strings off and let them float to the top and cover the whole ceiling. We did this in our dining room for my brother-in-law's 40th birthday, it looked so cool! (see pic below)

{Flowers} Flowers can be tricky and expensive, but you don't need a ton to make a statement. Buying a bunch of different flowers and filler to try and create an arrangement is not easy and can turn into a disaster or a waste of money. A bunch of the same flower in a vase is always a clean, simple, and elegant solution. Make your life easier and buy a pair of floral shears, some floral wire, and a roll of twine and/or ribbon. These are game changers when it comes to making an arrangement. I decided to use hydrangea because I didn't need that many arrangements and they would be perfect for the elegant, & airy look I was going for, plus they are super easy to work with. Aren't they so pretty all wrapped up?{The succulents were a little gift for bohoS, she is obsessed with them and Central Market has a ton right now!}

I bought some eucalyptus to add to the smaller hydrangea arrangements. They were selling 3 bunches for $10 at Central Market, holla! I also bought two bunches of white Stock for a dessert table arrangement. My plan was to put the larger white hydrangea in a tall vase for the center of the table, and then have 4 smaller arrangements to spread through out the rest of the table:

Easy enough right? Hydrangea are easy because the bloom is so large. For instance, at bohoJC's party (pic above), I just bought 3 large stems of hydrangea and placed each one in a different vase, and voila! Done. Here's how they turned out for Gerry's party:

I always send my pics to bohoJC for a seal of approval, these passed! I love the shades of pink.

Transporting these suckers to the restaurant was a whole other story! My pants were drenched in water from the tall hydrangea by the time we got there, it looked super sexy. I wasn't running around barefooted like a mad woman in soaked pants at all. Nope, totally calm and in control.

{Place Cards} Finally the finishing touches! This was a suggestion from bohoJC. I was so excited to do this because my mother in law always prefers a seating arrangement, especially at a table this large. She suggested BHLDNin Highland Village. Holy crap what a fun store! I was tempted to try on their wedding dresses, but figured I might look pathetic. Anyways, I found this super fun place card stamp set. Of course it wasn't super fun when Thursday night rolled around and we were drinking champagne at La Mode Lingerie and my place cards were still blank! (First World Problems) Fortunately bohoS volunteered her services and stamped them for me and wrote in the guest names. My handwriting is awful anyways so it worked out perfectly! I wanted to add a bundle of lavender underneath each place card, but Central Market wasn't selling any, so I bought some cheap filler that looked as close to lavender as I could get and used it instead. Daron had to help me with this step because I had to make 24 and we were REALLY running out of time. We just used thin pieces of twine to tie up several stems and then placed a card on top of each one. I loved how these turned out!

OK! here are some pics of the final product! Excuse the iPhone pics, in the middle of all the hustle and bustle I somehow forgot my DSLR. Ugh. Epic fail on my part.

I just love all the candlelight! Candles are by far the EASIEST way to decorate a table!

I think I used around 40 votive candles.

So here's the deal, anyone can do this, just get your hands on those 5 items and practice, practice, practice! Oh, and the party was a great success!! I was hungover for 2 days which was not so great, but we had a blast celebrating the kindest, sweetest, mother-in-law ever!!(p.s. thank you Daron, Joe and Meredith for you last minute help! xoxo)

love, bohoJB

STAY TUNED!!

bohoJC will be spilling her dinner party secrets very soon, you don't want to miss this!!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

I am blessed to have had a very strong upbringing, supportive parents and siblings, as well as strong morals and values. Still, even though I have a backbone made of steel, the world can rear it's ugly head and I can be thrown into a tailspin. A nasty comment from some idiot can wreak havoc on my heart, I say nasty things to people I love out of my own frustration, my fears can get the best of me, or I just flat out don't feel good enough for anything on my plate. All of these are ridiculous feelings but, sure as the sky is blue, I will feel them again and I've learned that what is most important is how I deal with them before I get consumed by all of the negativity. Twelve years ago my mother gave me a book called, 'The Four Agreements' but I didn't actually pick it up until last year. After all, I was 14 years old when she bought it for me so clearly I didn't need any help from anyone much less a silly book. Then I grew up. Last year, as I flew through its pages I kept shaking my head, pressing my lips together and thinking to myself, 'Mama knows best. Lawd have mercy, mama KNOWS!' The Four Agreements are four simple rules that can help you find peace in any situation so it's only natural that I share with you this literary gold. Enjoy!

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word. "Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak
against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the
direction of truth and love." If you ain't got nuthin' nice to say, don't say nuthin' at all.

Impeccable means “without sin” and a sin is something you do or believe that
goes against yourself. It means not speaking against yourself, to yourself or
to others. It means not rejecting yourself. To be impeccable means to take
responsibility for yourself, to not participate in “the blame game.”

2. Don't take anything personally. “Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally... Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves.” Some people are whack. Remember that.

“Whenever we hear an opinion and believe it, it becomes part of our belief system.”

"You have to trust yourself and choose to believe or not to believe what someone says to you.” You got to love yo'self.

3. Don't make assumptions. "Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.
Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings,
sadness, and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform
your life."

"When we make assumptions it is because we believe we know what others are
thinking and feeling. We believe we know their point of view. We
forget that our beliefs are just our point of view based on our belief system
and personal experiences and have nothing to do with what others think and
feel." I'm also guilty of making assumptions based on my own experiences. It's not good. If we could all remember to just ask some questions once in while...And in the great words of Biggie Smalls, 'If you don't know, now you know.'4. Always do your best. "Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when
you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your
best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret." Laziness, out! Hard work, in!

"Living in the moment and releasing the past helps us to do the best we can in
the moment. It allows us to be fully alive right now, enjoying what is present,
not worrying about the past or the future.""Have patience with yourself. Take action. Practice forgiveness. If you do
your best always, transformation will happen as a matter of course."

Monday, January 28, 2013

While on our Christimas Trip to Los Angeles we visited a super chill restaurant called Superb. This Southern California Snack Bar is nestled on the up and coming Rose Street in Venice Beach. I was blown away by the Brussels sprouts with sunny side eggs entree. Los Angeles Magazine just named Superba #6 on its top 10 New Restaurant's List. So, I tried to make my own version this morning and it was a success! Here is what I did!Yields 2 servings

Ingredients

DirectionsIn a food processor, combine basil and garlic. Pulse until garlic and basil just come together but are not paste-like. With the motor running, slowly pour in lemon juice, scraping sides of bowl as necessary.

Add pine nuts and pulse to combine (the nuts should still be slightly chunky).

Transfer pesto to a bowl and stir in Parmesan.

Cut brussels sprouts in quarters and sauté in nonstick pan until caramelized then transfer to preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until soft. ( i like mine almost burnt) season with salt and pepper

Heat your plate in the microwave (that is such a restaurant thing!) Plate your brussels sprouts with a dollop of pesto...

Meanwhile, Start heating the water in a deep pot. Add a splash of Vinegar. The water should have small bubbles but not be boiling. If boiling, turn down the water- you want HOT water. Put your egg into a small dish-you will use this dish to transfer the egg into the pot. OK! Use your spoon to make a whirlpool in your pot. Now drop the egg in! Don't panic-it will look loose and not together...wait for it! 3-4 minutes- it will float to the top when it's done... BOOM! <---- not sure why I said BOOM, I guess it feels like such an accomplishment-or at least it does for me.Now add your poached egg to your brussels sprouts and pesto and finish with scallions and salt & pepper and you are done! Here is what mine looked like...

Use silicone loaf pan or spray non-stick baking spray in loaf pan, set aside. Lay parchment paper in bottom of pan. Toast walnuts in oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes until fragrant. Let cool and coarsely chop walnuts. Mix banana, egg whites, yogurt, vanilla together with a spatula and add dry ingredients. Bake 16-18 minutes. Check center is cooked all the way through with cake tester.

Optional: Drizzle top with powder sugar or chocolate syrup

Chocolate Syrup

6 oz finely chopped bittersweet chocolate

6 tablespoon of water

2 1/2 tablespoons Xylitol

dash of salt

Put chocolate in bowl, set aside. Combine all other ingredients in small sauce pan over medium-high heat; until Xylitol dissolves. Add to chocolate. Stir in circular motion starting in center of bowl with spatula.